Paintings
by Virg0Luck
Summary: "He is James Potter, and he is arty and perfect and rebellious and he makes you want to follow him and never look back." James/Narcissa, for Tris on her birthday (HPFC challenge).


**AN: Hey! This is for the Quotes Challenge (Allons-y Lovelies) in HPFC. The quote was "Stop your whining! It's ruining my artistic vibe." ****It's also for my amazing best friend Tris on her birthday xx**

* * *

You love watching James paint.

His brow furrows, and you think it's _adorable_; he's sitting down and there are smudges of paint all over him, and it's just…_James Potter_.

You know you should really feel guilty for watching him, but you don't.

* * *

You show yourself, one day, undoing the charm that keeps you hidden from his ever-darting eyes. They can't stay still, like him; they move and you find yourself praying his eyes land on you.

(To what, Cissa? Your family is from a batch of killers; if there is a God, he's long since forsaken you, especially as there's no way your family will ever feel regret. It's not a Black thing.)

He jumps; he smudges his paints, and there's the color you know he needed. He grins, a big, complete grin, (nothing hidden) and he asks you what you're doing.

"I like watching you paint," you say, watching him and his darting eyes for a response.

He smirks slightly- ah, there's the arrogant James you've fallen so hard for- and runs his fingers through his hair- it's so dark, almost like _black_, a stark contrast to your silvery blonde locks (everyone used to ask you if you're part Veela; you hate Veela.)- and suddenly there's the glint of a snitch instead of the paintbrush, and you know he's doing wandless magic to show off; you're no fan girl, Narcissa. You're from the House of Black; so you maintain your cool, and smirk back, and say, "Potter, I said I liked watching you _paint_. Put the snitch away."

The snitch makes you think of Lily Evans, and how much you wish she would disappear.

* * *

You've made this routine; sitting together, you watching James paint, and you talk sometimes; secretly you wish this could be your forever.

"But James…Quidditch can wait." You complain, one day, not wanting him to leave.

He makes another cocky comment, and it makes you smile: "Stop your whining! It's ruining my artistic vibe. Honestly, Cissa."

Your heart leaps, because it's the first time he's called you 'Cissa'; before it was all "Black" and "Narcissa".

And he doesn't go to Quidditch practice, just that once, for you, and that makes you grin like an idiot for days.

* * *

Cissa, don't cry.

His friends don't like that he's with you; your cousin, especially. Sirius is _horrible _to you when he finds it was you who made his "Prongs" miss practice. (You hate that nickname; he is so much more than a stag, though a mangy black mutt fits Sirius just fine.)

He is James Potter, and he is arty and perfect and rebellious and he makes you want to follow him and never look back.

That's why he's bad, and that's why Bella says to _stay away _from stinking Gryffindors like that, Cissa, because you don't want to mix with _them_. She hexes you, too; Bella, you see, is insane already, and you don't want to end up like _her_. Not Dromeda, either, who is _too _nice and you think she should really have been a Hufflepuff.

He's ignoring you, Cissa.

Not being _rude_; he isn't insulting you. His friends are.

(But he does nothing to stop it, ever, and that's almost as bad.)

* * *

He's hanging around with Lily Evans, and you want to go rip her throat out; how dare she take what is rightfully _yours_. You, who spent all that time staring at his face as he painted, who knows exactly where he stashes his paintings…he's _yours_, Cissa, but she's stolen him (but you think Sirius helped set them up, and that is the worst betrayal he could have done (worse than being a Gryffindor) and it hurts).

So Cissa; it's okay. Don't cry over _him_. He's a filthy stinking Gryffindor, after all. And hey; Lucius is showing some interest in courting you. He's a respectable pureblood match.

You'll never fall for him like you fell for James, though.

* * *

He's dead, Cissa.

All gone.

He died with Lily, and you can bet he never thought twice about you.


End file.
